Early Beech Wood "Model 146" Lounge Chair by Peter Hvidt & Orla Molgaard-Nielsen
View Similar Items
Early Beech Wood "Model 146" Lounge Chair by Peter Hvidt & Orla Molgaard-Nielsen
About the Item
- Creator:France & Daverkosen (Cabinetmaker),Peter Hvidt (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 33 in (83.82 cm)Width: 25.5 in (64.77 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Unrestored item, some marks consistent with age. Original reversible wool spring cushions show wear. Missing one seat spring.
- Seller Location:VANCOUVER, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: 319-172.21stDibs: LU6030226883582
Peter Hvidt
One half of the influential Danish furniture duo Hvidt and Mølgaard, architect and designer Peter Hvidt created shapely works in teak and rosewood that could be mass-produced and transported at a scale rarely seen before his time. Alongside his business partner, Aalborg-born designer Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, the pair crafted furniture which stands today as a masterclass in the combination of elegance and practicality that is typical of Scandinavian modernism.
Hvidt was born in Copenhagen in 1916. He studied architecture and cabinetry, and graduated from the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen. Hvidt established his own design firm in 1940 and taught for three years at his former school, during which he designed the teak Portex chair — Denmark’s first stacking chair (this design has alternatively been attributed to Hvidt’s partnership with Mølgaard-Nielsen over the years).
The exceptional collaboration between Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen took shape in 1944. A student of pioneering Danish modernist designer and architect Kaare Klint and fellow graduate of the School of Arts and Crafts, Mølgaard brought his technical prowess and eye for practical design to the partnership. Together, for more than three decades, Hvidt and Mølgaard would produce over 250 furniture designs, a legacy that included the iconic AX chair.
A masterpiece of technical expertise and innovative woodworking, the sculptural AX armchair was designed in collaboration with manufacturer Fritz Hansen during the late 1940s. It features double-curved laminated wood in the seat and back, and is an early example of knock-down furniture. This meant that it could be easily dismantled and assembled at its destination, which rendered the chair economical for transport on cargo ships and therefore could reach a worldwide audience. The AX went into production in 1950 and eventually gave way to a series that featured tables and other seating.
Hvidt’s proclivity for forward-looking design was typical of the venturesome furniture makers of the mid-century modern era. This extended to textures and materials, too — he believed that a tasteful combination of materials could add character and visual intrigue. With Mølgaard-Nielsen, Hvidt designed streamlined coffee tables, rosewood chairs upholstered with sumptuous black leather and teak side tables with cane shelves (teak was a sought-after material for designers at the time).
The duo’s work with celebrated manufacturers Fritz Hansen, France & Søn and Søborg Møbelfabrik has been a part of exhibitions at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen’s Design Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Peter Hvidt seating, tables and case pieces.
France & Daverkosen
The giant of mid-century furniture design France & Søn began its remarkable journey as a Danish firm specializing in the production and exporting of Scandinavian design called France & Daverkosen.
British businessman Charles William Fearnley France and Danish cabinetmaker Eric Daverkosen entered into a joint venture in 1936 — France being the investor and Daverkosen the head designer for their small mattress factory. Soon after production started at the France & Daverkosen company, Daverkosen became quite ill.
Concerned for his friend and their fledgling business, France traveled to Denmark, and Daverkosen died soon after his partner arrived. While France was attempting to make arrangements to transfer the company into his hands, World War II erupted, and Germany invaded Denmark. As a British citizen, France was captured and sent to a prison camp in Germany.
While in captivity, France developed several manufacturing ideas to pass the time and to keep his mind focused. He imagined a way to create lightweight wooden chairs that could be manufactured on an industrial scale and transported using an economic flat-pack format. He also thought of a way to retool his mattress factory to create chair backs, seats and sofa cushions.
Once freed, France returned to his business in Denmark and began to manufacture beech and teak goods that were gaining widespread acclaim around the world. He began to surround himself with some of the best Scandinavian designers of the time: Finn Juhl, Grete Jalk and Ole Wanscher, to name a few.
By 1954, France & Daverkosen accounted for 60 percent of all Danish furniture exports and their factory employed 350 people. Charles’s son James joined the company in 1957, which resulted in the name change to France & Søn.
Later, France & Søn was acquired by Danish designer Poul Cadovius, who folded it into the operations at CADO, a company he founded during the 1950s.
On 1stDibs, find France & Daverkosen seating, tables and more.
- Mid-Century Beech Lounge ChairLocated in VANCOUVER, CABeech wood Danish lounge chair, circa 1950's. Charming chair with original textured scalloped upholstery, solid beech wood frame with splayed legs...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Danish Beech & Leather Lounge ChairLocated in VANCOUVER, CABeech & leather lounge chair, circa 1970's. Curvaceous frame with original patchwork leather upholstery, some wear & tear. Unrestored item with option to purchase in restored condit...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Beech
- Mid-Century Modern Beech Lounge ChairLocated in VANCOUVER, CABeech wood Danish lounge chair, circa 1950's. Charming chair with original textured scalloped upholstery, solid beech wood frame with splayed legs...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Mid-Century Modern Beech Lounge ChairLocated in VANCOUVER, CABeech wood Danish lounge chair, circa 1950's. Charming chair with original textured scalloped upholstery, solid beech wood frame with splayed legs...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Danish Mid-Century Beech Lounge ChairLocated in VANCOUVER, CABeech wood Danish lounge chair, circa 1960's. Clean modern solid wood frame. with loose cushions design is easy to combine with other furniture in your ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Danish Mid-Century Beech & Leather Lounge ChairLocated in VANCOUVER, CABeech wood & leather Danish lounge chair, circa 1960's. Clean modern solid wood frame with unique slatted sides with a slight bow shape. The leather cushions have the perfect amount ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Beech
- Expertly Restored -Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen Model FD-146 Lounge ChairBy Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter Hvidt, France & DaverkosenLocated in Los Angeles, CALounge Chair designed by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen for France & Daverkosen in Denmark circa 1950’s. This stunning Model FD-146 features a walnut-stained beechwood frame wit...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFoam, Beech
- Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen Easy Chairs Model 146 by France & SonBy Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter HvidtLocated in Limhamn, Skåne länRare pair of easy chairs model 146 designed by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen. Produced by France & Son in Denmark.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Bouclé, Teak, Cane
- Peter Hvidt & Orla Molgaard Nielsen Lounge Chair FD-145By John Stuart, France & Daverkosen, Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter HvidtLocated in New York, NYPeter Hvidt & Orla Molgaard Nielsen Lounge Chair model "FD 145". A spindle back lounge chair By Peter Hvidt & Orla Molgaard Nielsen produced in Denmark by France & Daverkosen. A ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsTextile, Oak, Teak
- Peter Hvidt & Orla Mölgaard Nielsen Lounge Chairs Model 1748By Fritz Hansen, Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter HvidtLocated in New York, NYPeter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen lounge chairs / club chairs model 1748 produced through Fritz Hansen. A noted Danish design by Peter Hvidt & Orla Molgaard-Nielsen of an upholster...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsWool
- Peter Hvidt, Orla Molgaard France & Daverhosen Beech Teak High Back Lounge ChairBy Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, France & Daverkosen, Peter HvidtLocated in Bainbridge, NYTall Peter Hvidt, Orla Molgaard for France & Daverhosen Teak & Beech FD-146 Lounge Chair. Featuring an assembled framework, comfortable spindle high back, curved bentwood solid Beec...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Teak, Beech
- Peter Hvidt& Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen FD146 Cane Back Easy Chair, DenmarkBy Hvidt & Mølgaard, France & DaverkosenLocated in The Hague, NLA Classic design by one of Denmark's greatest furniture design pairings in history- Hvidt & Mølgaard manufactured by France & Daverkosen in 1960's Denmark. Model number- 146, the cha...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool, Rattan, Teak